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Researchers: Pistachios can deter obesity, diabetes

Updated: 2009-10-13 22:14:10 CST Category: General Health

by Brendan Missett

Following a recommendation that Americans limit their sugar intake by the American Heart Association (AHA), some researchers are parading pistachios as a way to moderate sugar consumption.

The recent AHA release featured the strictest guidelines ever for recommended intake of added sugars - 100 calories, or six teaspoons, for women and 150 calories, or 9 teaspoons, for men each day.

According to the 2001-2004 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, the average American consumed 355 calories each day, constituting a 20 percent increase since the 1970s. Scientists at the AHA have concluded that high levels of sugar intake can lead to obesity, type-2 diabetes and cardiovascular diseases such as hypertension.

The AHA recommends meeting the new nutritional limits by adopting a diet of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, low-fat dairy, lean protein and healthy amounts of mom-and-poly unsaturated fats.

Furthermore, research at the University of Toronto found that when an individual ate a handful of pistachios with foods with high glycemic indexes, like white bread, the nuts reduced rises in blood sugar levels and hunger-stimulating hormones.

Pistachios are one of the healthiest nuts for weight management with about 170 calories and 13 grams of fat per ounce, according to PistachioHealth.com.

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